bajadreamer wrote:
Your hummers are very sharp, well exposed and the colors are great. I saw the picture of your set up previously. I know it would complicate the PS removal of the feeder tube from the shot, but I would consider placing the tube on the other side, so the birds were coming into the flowers, rather than away from them. IMO would improve the "natural" appearance.
I good thought, thanks. Actually, it would be easier to simply flip the background photo left to right. It's not a simple photograph, It's a giant transparency that I had printed on clear plastic. There is much more going on in these creations than is apparent. For instance the transparency is tilted at about a 15 degree angle so that reflections from flashes can not be seen by the camera. It's a bit like a rear projection screen. I never know from which direction the birds will come or leave. I can exert some influence on their direction by the way I tilt the feeder tube that they drink from.
Here is a photo straight out the camera with zero adjustments or retouching done. I take bursts off exposures and hope the the bird will fly into the flowers.